Thinking about the students who are making their university choices, this Day exists so that the Faculty can show them how it works behind the scenes, allowing them to find the answers they are seeking.

But how did this Day come to be?

Then-Director of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor José Fernandes, takes a journey back in time. “This day was created for two reasons: the first one had to do with the access to the Medical Study Programme, which is a serious problem because the selection of the students is based only on the grades of three subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) and that is not enough, because it doesn’t privilege the characteristics and skills that any physician should have. Secondly, I wondered whether the students who choose Medicine know what Medicine is and where they are going. Were students adequately informed to make that choice? I didn’t think so. And I believed something else, which is that those who came to Medicine suffered from the good-student syndrome; that is, if you have high grades, you go and study Medicine. Now, I believed that those who do it, must do it, essentially, out of vocation. So one of the ways I found to try to change this trend of thought was to pass this message on to new students who are intending to choose Medicine. I wanted to tell them, in a simple way, that, before making an active choice, they should be informed. In fact, I maintained that the Universities should be able to choose their students, but we were never able to achieve that.” But because a great orchestra must always have a conductor, retired Biochemistry Professor Carlota Saldanha launched this major event. “Professor Carlota Saldanha was strongly committed to this initiative, the whole team embraced this mission and we credit them with the increasing success of this day” – Professor José Fernandes e Fernandes

The opening of this year’s session was led by Professor Fausto Pinto, current Director of the Faculty of Medicine, who welcomed the nearly 130 students who attended the event. Valuing the concept of Campus, he explained the importance of having a Faculty integrated into a hospital and engaged in scientific research. If there had been any doubts, Fausto Pinto stated his love for his career – “This is the best job in the world.”

“Having the wisdom to do good” was the path proposed by Professor Joaquim Ferreira, who regrets “no longer being a student” to be able to start all over again. Faced with challenges and doubts, he gave all the arguments in favour of choosing Medicine, mentioning freedom as one of its best aims.

There was also an important focus on the GAPIC, represented by neurosurgeon Cláudia Faria and student Beatriz Draiblate, who showed how scientific research enriches academic and medical life.

Beatriz Draiblate attended Applicant’s Day on April 4 2014 and stayed, as that day consolidated her certainty regarding her choice. Currently a 4th-year student, she remembers that day rather well – “I walked down these stairs and asked myself how I would ever find my way here, in such a large hospital. I remember that one of the lectures that struck me most was the one given by Professor António Vaz Carneiro, because he explained the issue of evidence-based medicine very well, as it is easier to deal with things that explain everything than to find a reason for each cause. And what I felt that day was that we were starting to do a little Medicine, it was very good to hear him and meet him again in class later on. But the Professor also caused an impact on me with another statement, which says that “Those who only know about Medicine, don’t even actually know about Medicine.” This idea is important because, even in the first few years, students should not focus only on studying; they should take part in events and conferences, meetings, become members of the Student Association and learn about the world around them. Discovering the GAPIC on Applicant’s Day was the real advantage for me, because I love research. As a student, I realised that researching is important, because we can follow patients more closely from the beginning to the end of the process, and in large infirmaries we realise that patients are never ours alone.”

This work team relies on the support of the Student Association, whose contribution is becoming increasingly stronger. Several Erasmus students talked about the huge difference between incoming and outgoing teaching and showed videos of Medicine Night, one of the moments that leave the most lasting impression on younger students, who also dream about getting there.

Pedro Marçal, from the Pedagogical Evaluation Unit of the Academic Area, has been involved in the Applicant’s Day event since its first edition. “It was Professor Fernandes who gave the day its name – Studying Medicine at the FMUL – Applicant’s Day.

Pedro recalls that the Faculty was already being sought after by schools and students that asked to visit it and find out more about its facilities – “they wanted us to go to fairs and high-school exhibitions, and it was Professor Carlota who proposed that, instead of us travelling to different places, we could invite them to come to us. Moreover, the Professor was clearly in favour of the Faculty showing how it was unique (GAPIC, 6th-year Clinical Internship with a ratio of 1 tutor per student and easy access to the IMM).

Used to dealing with the data in the forms filled out by students, he knows by heart the strengths of these visits and that, ten years later, they are yet to be replaced – “most students say that their expectations are widely met and that the event helped them a lot when it came to making a final decision; they also highlight the quality of the facilities and the education, because they have a great appreciation for the Professors and students they meet that day.”

“Now Professor Madalena Patrício is making an effort so they can learn even more about the school and about the iMM’s facilities.”

I remember when a student passed out and we were so nervous; we were in a hospital and we had no idea what to do. Then, of course, we reacted and it was Nuno Rodrigues (another member who has been involved since the beginning) who took her to the emergency room. In the meantime, we called her parents and took care of everything; it was nothing serious really, she just hadn’t eaten breakfast and that’s why she was unwell.”

At the beginning, we had fewer people than we have now – “the first event was not very well publicised; at the time, our perspective on how to publicise Applicant’s Day was much naiver; even so, things went well, despite the fact that the first event was attended by little more than twenty students.”

Two years later we were joined by Ana Raquel Moreira (Public Relations and Communications Unit), who was already working in Public Relations at the Editorial Office at the time, “so it made sense for her to join the team, given our need for better dissemination. I remember a year when there was a public transit strike and very few people came, and another year when it rained so much that we were soaking wet, but they were always happy.”

“Preparing this event is a great pleasure for this team. It’s important to have a multidisciplinary team, with people from different areas who work and think together. Our main goal is to make this an unforgettable day for all those who want to study here. A day that makes them decide that this is the school where they will choose to spend the next 6 years. The 6 most important years of their lives!” With time comes experience and, 10 years after the first edition, “we feel very comfortable and everything comes easily for us; on that day, we don’t even feel nervous anymore, because we are together to welcome the applicants and everything turns out alright!” he adds.

If I had to change something, I would bring to the team someone who works in communication at the iMM, as “it is important to be in tune with them, because we are visited by many research laboratories and the iMM helps them to understand our agenda a lot better.”

Even today, when there are other activities, such as Futurália (an event at FIL that brings together all areas of education), or enrolments, we see familiar faces and they know that the first day they came here was Applicant’s Day.